If you often cook a main and a side dish that need different cooking times or temperatures, choose two independently adjustable zones and check that each portion fits in its basket. A flexible drawer is better suited to switching between two separate dishes and one larger dish; a vertical design takes up less width, while a mini oven is worth considering if trays and cooking levels matter more to you than two independent settings. In every case, measure the space you’ll need to open and clean the appliance.
You’re cooking a main and a side dish that need different settings. Two independent drawers can cook them at the same time, while a synchronisation function can make sure they finish together. Les Numériques explores these features in its review of the Philips NA352/00.
You plan to keep the appliance within easy reach every day, but you don’t have much width to spare. Tested by Les Numériques, the Ninja Double Stack SL400EU takes up less width than a side-by-side design, but needs more room in height and depth.
You switch between cooking two separate dishes and preparing one larger item. A drawer with a removable divider can handle both, provided its dimensions suit the food you cook. The Foodi Flex, Dual Blaze TwinFry and Dual Easy Fry Flex ranges all offer this type of configuration.
Start with the two dishes you cook together most often. How much room they need in each zone, and the settings they require, will help you decide whether two drawers, a flexible drawer, a single drawer or a mini oven is right for you.
| What to consider | What to check | Who this matters to |
|---|---|---|
| Independent cooking | Separate time and temperature settings for each zone, plus synchronised finish times if needed. Don’t assume a multi-level mini oven or a single-drawer model offers these features. | When my main and side dish need different cooking settings, I want to serve them together without using two appliances. Around 34% of consumers would put this coordination at the top of their list. |
| Available space | Width, depth, height and the clearance needed to remove the drawers, as specified in the model’s instructions. | If the appliance stays on my worktop, it needs to fit under the cupboards and be easy to open. Available space is said to be the priority for around 25% of consumers. |
| Capacity and shape | The capacity of each zone and its usable cooking area, plus whether the divider can be removed to make room for a larger dish. | Sometimes I prepare two separate portions; other times I cook something that wouldn’t fit in a small, fixed basket. Around 25% of consumers would make this flexibility their main requirement. |
| Cleaning and ease of use | How easy the drawers are to handle, whether they fit in the sink or dishwasher, and how noisy the model is according to reviews. | After cooking dinner every day, I don’t want a large drawer that’s awkward to handle or wash. Noise matters in my kitchen too. For around 16% of consumers, ease of use would come before other considerations. |
Two appliances with a similar stated capacity can divide the space between their zones very differently. A small basket might limit the size of your side dish, even if the total capacity seems sufficient.
Check the capacity and shape of each zone against the two foods you plan to cook together. Also check whether the divider can be removed when you’re cooking a larger item.
The Ninja Double Stack SL400EU, tested by Les Numériques, is 28 cm wide, but also 38,5 cm tall and 47 cm deep. Its narrow width doesn’t necessarily mean it will fit under a wall cupboard.
Measure the available width, depth and height, as well as the space needed to pull out the drawers, before choosing a vertical design.
In its review of the Cosori Dual Blaze TwinFry, Les Numériques notes that the divider doesn’t completely isolate the two zones. This could be an issue if your dishes need very different cooking conditions.
For this kind of meal, read a review of the specific model or consider an air fryer with two physically separate drawers.
Les Numériques reports that the Ninja Foodi Flex has a drawer that’s difficult to handle and wash, while the Cosori Dual Blaze TwinFry has a drawer that’s cumbersome to clean.
Compare the dimensions of the removable parts with your sink and dishwasher, and check the cleaning instructions before you buy.
The Double Stack and Foodi Flex models address two different needs: taking up less width or combining two zones in one large, flexible cavity.
The Series 3000 dual-basket range pairs a large drawer with a smaller one, making it suitable for a main and a side dish of different sizes.
The Dual Blaze TwinFry is designed around a drawer that can be used as one large cavity or divided into two separate zones.
The range includes models with two drawers, as well as the Dual Easy Fry Flex, which has a removable divider.
The Easy Fry air fryer oven is worth considering if trays, cooking levels and the shape of your dishes matter more to you than having two drawers.
These models are designed for cooking two parts of dinner in separate baskets or in a divided drawer. Compare how much room each dish will have, and check the features of the specific model if you want to serve both dishes together.
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Worth considering if your main and side dish need baskets of different sizes. The NA351/00 is listed with two differently sized baskets and a total capacity of 9 L. Check how much room each basket offers and whether it has a synchronisation function if that’s important for your meal.
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Worth a look if you switch between cooking two separate dishes and preparing a larger one. The product title lists a flexible basket, Sync mode, a viewing window and 50 cooking paper liners. Check the appliance’s dimensions and make sure you have enough space to handle the drawer.
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Compare this model if you want to divide your dinner between two zones and keep an eye on cooking through the viewing windows mentioned in the title. Check the capacity of each basket, the synchronisation controls and the dimensions before deciding whether it suits your portions and worktop.
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Worth considering if you want to cook a main and a side dish in separate drawers. The product title lists a total capacity of 9,5 L and six cooking functions. Check how the portions will fit and whether it has a synchronised finish function if you need one.
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Worth considering if you switch between cooking two parts of dinner and preparing a larger dish. Joybuy France lists this TF101S as a 10 L drawer that can be divided into two 5 L zones. Check that it has the settings and synchronisation functions your recipes need. Les Numériques’ review of the Dual Blaze TwinFry notes that its divider doesn’t completely isolate the zones.
No. Check that you can adjust each zone separately. Les Numériques describes the tested Philips NA352/00 as having two independent heating elements. With a flexible drawer, also check the divider’s limitations: its review of the Cosori Dual Blaze TwinFry says the divider doesn’t completely isolate the zones.
Yes, if the model has a function that synchronises their finish times. Philips France lists this feature for the NA352/24. Check that it’s available on the variant you’re considering, and make sure each dish fits in its zone.
Measure the available width, depth and height, then allow room to open the drawers and for any clearances specified in the instructions. As examples for the models tested, Les Numériques gives the Ninja Double Stack SL400EU’s dimensions as 28 cm wide, 38,5 cm high and 47 cm deep, compared with 38,2 cm, 31,4 cm and 44,4 cm respectively for the Philips NA352/00.
First check the extension lead’s maximum power rating, the appliance instructions and which other appliances will be plugged into it. Promotelec warns against overloading an extension lead and recommends not connecting extension leads together in a chain.
Not if your priority is to give two dishes independent settings and synchronise their finish times, unless the oven you choose offers an equivalent function. Moulinex France lists three levels and two trays for its Easy Fry 20 L. This format is better worth considering when the shape of your dishes and the ability to use several levels matter most.